Millbury COA defends 'expedient' biz practices to selectmen

Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Published Friday November 16, 2012 at 6:00 am

Updated Friday November 16, 2012 at 10:48 am

In a meeting with selectmen last night, Council on Aging board members defended some of the business practices raised as concerns by the accounting firm Roselli, Clark & Associates, hired in the summer on advice of town counsel to look into the Senior Center's internal controls.

Richard S. Townsend, COA chairman, and Stephen V. Walinsky, vice chairman, maintained that the major issues — the commingling of operations and finances among the Council on Aging, Friends of Millbury Seniors and COA Executive Director Judith O'Connor, and pre-signed blank vouchers found in the executive director's office, were expedient practices to provide programs to seniors without interruption because of cash-flow timing.

Mr. Walinsky said the board pre-signed blank vouchers because it met on the third Wednesday of the month and it might have incurred late fees from vendors if it waited for the regular town finance department processing on the second and fourth weeks of the month.

Town Finance Director Brian E. Turbitt responded, “I always grant people the ability to put it on the warrant the following week. I didn't know that the Council on Aging was having trouble getting it on the warrant.”

Town Manager Robert J. Spain, Jr. said he has asked the finance director to make sure processes are clear with departments and related “friends” groups across the board.

Mr. Walinsky explained that the Friends of the Millbury Seniors, a nonprofit organization, pays for almost all of the Senior Center programs and then submits bills for reimbursement when the state formula grant money comes in.

He said, “We have no problem loaning our executive director to them, no problem. No problem with the Friends putting her on their checking account either.”

But Terenzio Volpicelli, senior manager at Roselli, Clark & Associates, said, “It's more important now than ever to have a clear separation … and I believe that is what the report is putting out there. It's important to not only be independent in fact, but also independent in appearance.”

Chad Clark, partner at Roselli, Clark, said one highlighted incident — the COA's paying the Friends a lump sum for outreach services of $6,648, exceeding the multiple-quote threshold of $5,000 in state procurement laws — was also part of the confusion resulting from the organizations' commingling.